Recently, I handed about 250 letters from climate-concerned Marylanders to Senator Cardin’s staff outside a committee hearing on the clean energy bill. The staff had previously told a group of us that they need to hear more from the climate movement if we want a strong clean energy bill.  So we hit the streets to answer their call and amassed 250 letters in less than a week in support of Cardin’s leadership on strengthening the bill. As we handed the letters over to the Senator’s staff, we let them know that there are more on the way.

Senator Cardin is taking an active role in drafting the Senate version of the American Clean Energy and Security Act which passed out of the House back in June. He’s been supportive of climate policy in the past and with enough nudging from his constituents he can be a champion. This means that we as Marylanders are in a key position to influence the strength of this clean energy bill. We have a senator who just needs to know that we want him to be bold.

If James Hansen and other leading climate scientists are right, this may be our last chance to pass bold climate policy before we reach dangerous tipping points that throw our planet into a devastatingly unstable climate regime. We have a moment of opportunity as Marylanders to make sure our nation has solid ground to stand on going into the climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December. It is critical that we pass bold climate policy here in the U.S. so that other nations will follow. This is going to require the grassroots to press on and not let up, no matter how daunting the task ahead.

In addition to the volunteer work I do with CCAN, I also phone-bank part-time with 1Sky. One day while I was calling 1Sky members asking them to call their representatives during the lead up to the ACES vote in the House, I dialed, unbeknownst to me, a veteran paleo-climatologist. We got to talking and I was sure, after learning of his profession, that he would call his representative about voting for the ACES bill. He said he wouldn’t. He said it would be a waste of his time. He told me that he has been traveling back and forth between his home and Antarctica for the last thirty years; in his own hands, he has held the ice cores that tell the history and future of our planet’s climate. He said he’s been trying to tell the government this story for the past thirty years and they haven’t listened. If they had done something when he began telling the story, we might have prevented the worst effects of climate change. In his opinion, we’re already too late. He told me to put down the phone and go enjoy life because it won’t be the same for much longer.

This was tough to hear from a paleo-climatologist – someone who has been immersed in the science for the last thirty years. At first, my spirit was deflated. I almost stopped making the calls. Then that deflation turned into determination. I don’t know if he’s right – maybe we’ve hit that tipping point Hansen talks about, maybe we haven’t. But what I do know for sure is that if we give up, if we don’t fight now, then we’ve surely lost. If we take a stand, if we push with all our might for bold leadership now, then we have a chance of preserving some semblance of the planet we evolved and thrived in. That climate scientist may have given up, but I’m not going to. Not while there’s still a chance. Most climate scientists believe that, while continued warming this century is inevitable, we can still avert the worst effects. But we absolutely must act now!

I’m going to keep making calls with 1Sky, I’m going to keep collecting letters with CCAN, I’m going to keep rallying and flash mobbing with fellow climate activists. I urge you to take a stand with me.

One simple and great way to do this is to join one of the roving teams of letter-collectors in Maryland. Not only is it a chance to make a difference, but it’s a chance to connect with your community in new ways. We’ve been hitting up farmers markets, flea markets, outdoor concerts, art festivals, and various other events. I’ve discovered, through these events, that there is a level of richness to my community I never noticed before. I’ve met many new people: like-minded climate-concerned neighbors, farmers who don’t want to face drought, mayors who see the opportunity that green jobs present, all willing to write letters. I even met one of Cardin’s cousins who said he would personally deliver our strengthening message to the Senator. There is an awesome sense of fulfillment I take home with me after doing what I can to fight for strong climate legislation.

We have good letter-collecting teams in place already, but we need more folks to join if we are going to send a powerful message to congress.  If you want to be a part of this historic effort, contact Keith Harrington (keith@chesapeakeclimate.org) and he’ll get you plugged in!

Even if you only have a couple of hours to spare over the rest of this month, it could make the difference. This is our time; let’s seize the moment!

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Tags: ACES, Ben Cardin

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